Photo AI
A drug molecule has been designed to inhibit the activity of an enzyme - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 1 - 2013 - Paper 1
Question 1
A drug molecule has been designed to inhibit the activity of an enzyme. The shape of the enzyme is shown below. The position of the active site is labelled. What is... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:A drug molecule has been designed to inhibit the activity of an enzyme - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 1 - 2013 - Paper 1
Step 1
What is the most likely shape for the drug molecule that is capable of competitive inhibition of the enzyme?
Answer
To design a drug molecule for competitive inhibition, the shape of the drug must closely resemble the structure of the enzyme's active site. This similarity will enable the drug to bind to the active site, preventing the actual substrate from doing so.
By examining the shapes provided in options A, B, C, and D, we need to identify the structure that fits the enzyme’s active site the best.
After evaluating the options, it is clear that option B has the closest shape to the active site of the enzyme. This allows it to effectively compete with the substrate for binding to the active site, thus exerting competitive inhibition.